‘Big Steve’ headed to general election after soundly defeating Maltese in East Haven GOP primary

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EAST HAVEN — Councilman “Big Steve” Tracey soundly defeated former Board of Finance member Salvatore Maltese in the Republican primary Tuesday, winning the right to face Democrat Joe Carfora and independent candidate Oni Sioson in the Nov. 5 general election.

Tracey, R-4, won 727-448 — taking 62 percent of the vote to Maltese’s 38 percent, according to Republican Registrar of Voters Donna Norman.

There also was a Republican primary for the 4th District Town Council seats, with current Board of Education Secretary Samantha Parlato challenging GOP Town Committee-endorsed candidates incumbent Linda Hennessey, former Town Council member Bob Cubelotti and retired East Haven police Officer Robert Ranfone.

In that race, Parlato managed to knock out Cubelotti. The final results were Hennessey with 137 votes, Parlato with 126 votes and Ranfone with 119 votes winning seats. Cubelotti garnered 100 votes.

“I just knew — I had a feeling,” Tracey, 51, who works as a bail bondsman, said after the results came in to election night gathering in state Sen. Leonard Fasano’s Silver Sands Beach & Tennis Club. “I’m just excited to start the next chapter of this. I’m just hoping this starts the healing.”

Moments earlier, he told about 50 supporters in his surprisingly subdued headquarters, “I want Sal Maltese & the Republican Party to come together and win this race” in November.

“I want to thank the residents of East Haven,” said Tracey, a onetime pro wrestler who as a young man fought Hulk Hogan in the ring. “I just had a feeling today that we were going to crush him.”

Over at his gathering of about 40 supporters at the Twin Pines Diner on Route 1, Maltese, 75, said of Tracey, “He was the endorsed candidate ...

“At least the Yankees are winning,” Maltese joked.

“We did our best. We went out there and worked hard. It is what it is,” he said. “I’m going to hold my head high. I’ll be opening my place of business at 6 a.m. tomorrow.”

Maltese has owned the South Shore Laundromat on Coe Avenue for 38 years and also worked for years as a credit manager.

“I want to thank my supporters and my family and everyone who voted for me,” Maltese said.

“We will always stand by you, Dad,” said daughter Kim Pycela.

Back at Tracey’s gathering, Republican Town Chairman Bob Parente said, “the Republican Party came out today to support (Tracey) and we’re looking forward to a victory in November.

“I think Steve ran a fine campaign,” with no mudslinging on either side, Parente said.

Both Fasano, R-North Haven, and state Rep. Joseph Zullo, R-East Haven, who used to be Republican Mayor Joseph Maturo Jr.’s campaign manager, came out to support Tracey.

“I credit Sal (Maltese) for his service to the town. He continues to be a dedicated public servant,” said Zullo, also the town attorney under Maturo. “But tonight the Republican Party of East Haven spoke, and they gave Steve a big win.”

Zullo said he was proud of Tracey Campaign Manager Chris Farrell, saying, “I wasn’t involved in this primary” and “Chris took it on his shoulders.”

Fasano said of Tracey, “I think he worked hard.” Maltese “is a good guy,” Fasano said.

Tracey, had the advantage in fundraising, outraising Maltese $55,918 to $7,522 and outspending him $22,222 to $7,161, with $33,696 left on hand as of last Wednesday, compared to $361 for Maltese.

Throughout the campaign, both mayoral candidates made keeping East Haven’s taxes low as a top priority.

Republican Town Committee-endorsed Tracey and Maltese, who collected enough signatures to force a primary, both also considered it a priority to shore-up East Haven’s infrastructure.

Both also expressed an interest in keeping the town off the front page for any of the kind of negative issues that have plagued it in the past.

In recent years, those have included the U.S. Department of Justice investigation that resulted in major changes after four police officers were arrested on discrimination charges in 2012, outgoing Mayor Joe Maturo’s infamous “taco” comment in the wake of that and Maturo’s $175,000 2018 settlement for allegedly harassing a female employee.

Prior to those, East Haven was dogged by the aftermath of the shooting of Malik Jones, a young, African-American New Haven man who was shot and killed by an East Haven police office after a chase from East Haven to New Haven.

Tracey has said he ran “because I love East Haven. I’ve raised my kids here and my family ... I need to make sure the taxes stay low” for them, he said.

Tracey has said he’s right for the job because “first of all, I’ve got common sense, and I’ve got life experience. I’ve opened businesses, built them up from scratch. I know how to talk to people — sit down, have a meeting and talk to people.

“I don’t waste my time fighting or arguing with people,” Tracey said. “I just do my thing. The most important thing to me is that the party comes together ... so we can stop all this arguing.”

Maturo, who has served a total of nine terms as mayor — including five from 1997-2007 and four since defeating Democratic Mayor April Capone by 34 votes and returning to office in 2011 — announced in June that he wouldn’t seek the GOP endorsement.

But he has never said publicly that he wouldn’t run, leaving the door open for a possible independent run. Asked again on Friday, Maturo continued to leave that door open, saying, “The only way of me getting on the ballot at this point would be as a write-in candidate. But I want to see how things shake down after the primary.”

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